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The Office of the Child Advocate was established in 2018 as part of an
aggressive commitment to reform New Hampshire’s child welfare system.
We are an independent and impartial state office established to oversee
the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

There are times when DCYF is involved in the lives of children and families.
It is the Child Advocate’s responsibility to make sure that the State of
New Hampshire does the best job possible in caring for and protecting children.

Mission of the Office of the Child Advocate

The mission of the Office of the Child Advocate is to provide independent
and impartial oversight of the New Hampshire child welfare and juvenile
justice systems to promote effective reforms that meet the best interests of
children.

To achieve this we:

Listen to all concerns about DCYF

Respond to complaints with a credible review process

Respect the importance of every person in a child's life

Build collaborative relationships for reform

Promote practices that are proven to be effective to help children and families

Maintain independence and impartiality of all aspects of our oversight of DCYF

How does the Child Advocate help?

The Office of the Child Advocate investigates complaints about DCYF for:

Children under protective supervision

Children in foster care or institutional settings

Children involved with juvenile justice

Children in need of services

We turn complaints into building blocks for better child
welfare and juvenile justice systems by:

Educating policymakers and the public on what children need and
best practices

Promoting responsive public policy for child welfare

Ensure that DCYF has the resources to effectively do the best
for New Hampshire's children